Dealing with a 1 year old rooster

[ACS285]

He is on a time limit. I can't let him be a risk to the hens health and well being. That's my line.
If I don't see good gentleman like behavior by the time it starts getting chilly up here then it'll be time to seriously consider his future or lack of. Last year one of my hens was almost naked from a heavy molt and I can't imagine what that'd be like if she had to also deal with a rooster disregarding her protests. Now that I know for sure that behavior doesn't actually have to belong in their society. They don't free range at all if there's snow on the ground so no need for his protection or misbehavior. Then I'll get a new rooster come spring time. I do want to breed my chickens eventually but not with a rooster who has potentially inheritable aggression issues.

Thanks everyone, for the advice and perspectives.

 

[z3lda3]

He is on a time limit. I can't let him be a risk to the hens health and well being. That's my line.
If I don't see good gentleman like behavior by the time it starts getting chilly up here then it'll be time to seriously consider his future or lack of. Last year one of my hens was almost naked from a heavy molt and I can't imagine what that'd be like if she had to also deal with a rooster disregarding her protests. Now that I know for sure that behavior doesn't actually have to belong in their society. They don't free range at all if there's snow on the ground so no need for his protection or misbehavior. Then I'll get a new rooster come spring time. I do want to breed my chickens eventually but not with a rooster who has potentially inheritable aggression issues.

Thanks everyone, for the advice and perspectives.

I know it difficult. I couldn’t cull a perfectly fine rooster, concerning health. I’ve got 7 roosters total. Two are in the flock. Actually 3 are in the flock but my latest one is a Cochin bantam he’s 10 weeks old, and so far the hens are doing a great job schooling him. (I’ll see how that goes). The other four are really good roosters but I can not have 7 roosters and 30 hens. So I made a bachelor pad for them. They have their own coop, and free range during the day. (A fenced in area of about an acre). As long as they stay docile with me and the family, they’re more than welcome to live out their days freeloading.

 

[McChooky]

I wonder how he worked out for the new home ... I mean, I would lash out if I was suddenly ostracized without understanding why or being able to communicate my frustrations with the situation. Maybe I should switch up how I have them separated.
Right now he's 30-50 ft away from the hens but just to sleep. I feel bad and let him out immediately every day.

I have fencing enough for the length of the run I can use to keep him off the hens and a dog crate that'll fit and he can sleep in. Then I can see if he shows signs of improvement before letting him back and the new hens can quarantine for a little bit. Oh boy... Ill have a 3 way split for a couple weeks or so after quarantine is up but... I got time to create that solution.

Mine wasn't aggressive until I separated them.He was over a year old.
The man took him home and kept him in an indoor cage and made a pet out of him before releasing him with his hens.He said he was an excellent rooster for him and still has him

 

[Mrs. K]

As for picking a rooster that is a great rooster. Start looking locally for people that have chickens. Contact local 4-H clubs, or a poultry club, keep an eye on the board at the feed store.

If you can get your druthers, what you want is a rooster that is close to a year old, that has been raised in a free ranging, multi-generational flock, with similar predators, by a person that would have culled him, if he needed culling. That he has been kept alive, because he is just to nice to cull. That is the rooster you want.

Mrs K

 

[z3lda3]

As for picking a rooster that is a great rooster. Start looking locally for people that have chickens. Contact local 4-H clubs, or a poultry club, keep an eye on the board at the feed store.

If you can get your druthers, what you want is a rooster that is close to a year old, that has been raised in a free ranging, multi-generational flock, with similar predators, by a person that would have culled him, if he needed culling. That he has been kept alive, because he is just to nice to cull. That is the rooster you want.

Mrs K

4-h for sure. They almost always have roosters they need to rehome.
I’ve had really good luck (so far) raising a cockerel with the flock. My hens tend to school them really well. Of course it helps that with one exception, my roosters are bantams and most of my hens are standards.

 

[2 Acres]

Without me or my dogs my chickens would last a week.I buy the food and wait on them hand and foot and my dog chases predators off.Roosters can't protect hens from predators but they can take the fall for them. I have yet to see a rooster with the strength or agility of a predator like a fox or coyote .They don't have teeth or claws to defend themselves or the hens.Aggressive roosters are a legal liability just like biting dogs.

In his younger years, I'd put my "Roo" up against any predator. Even in his advanced age. He still challenges the other rooster I have when it gets aggressive with the hens.

He also still has good eyesight and can spot threats. Not bad for an 8 year old rooster.

 

[2 Acres]

In his younger years, I'd put my "Roo" up against any predator. Even in his advanced age. He still challenges the other rooster I have when it gets aggressive with the hens.

He also still has good eyesight and can spot threats. Not bad for an 8 year old rooster.

And he has 7 brothers...

 

[z3lda3]

In his younger years, I'd put my "Roo" up against any predator. Even in his advanced age. He still challenges the other rooster I have when it gets aggressive with the hens.

He also still has good eyesight and can spot threats. Not bad for an 8 year old rooster.

I have a rooster that saved a little pullet from a hawk. The hawk had her down, and my rooster attacked the hawk with everything in him! The hawk tried to fly off (my coonhound stopped his flying days), and my little pullet lived, as did my rooster.
Even if someone doesn’t have a “killer” rooster, a good one will deter the hawk so the hens can get to safety.

 

[McChooky]

And he has 7 brothers...

You have 8 roosters all the same age?

 

[cassie]

Last year our hens hatched a chick, turned out to be a cockerel. Our flock consisted of 5 hens & 1 rooster all 4 years old. This past April, when cockerel was now a 1 year old rooster, several hens had broken feathers on their back. My husband witnessed the older rooster driving the young one away, then very aggressively mating with a hen. Huh, we thought, it must be the older one who's become aggressive...so he was culled.

Wrong decision. Young rooster was very aggressive with the hens. He's also aggressive with us, charges us with spurs. We always have a wooden rake (as for raking leaves) with us when dealing with him.

We separated the young rooster, by keeping him in a separate 'big' yard which has high fencing but is open overhead (there are trees and some old glass doors that are angled out for shelter) during the day, the hens are kept in the adjacent 'little' yard which includes the coop and is protected on all sides as well as above. After we have enclosed the hens in the coop for the night, we let the rooster in the little yard so he's better protected from raccoons and owls. In this way, the rooster can see and hear the hens all day, he's on the other side of wire fencing, but can't touch them.

We did this for a few weeks, then let them all together again. The young rooster continued to be aggressive. We had 1 hen who seemed terrified of him - she hid in the coop. When she came out for food & water, young rooster would go after her. If she couldn't get away, she would cower low on the ground, I could see her whole body shaking. With another hen he was so aggressive, he ripped her comb off her head. We separated him again...it's been about 4 weeks now.

Meantime, we have 5 pullets, they should start laying in August. We have them in their own little coop, in their own protected little yard, and access / intermingling with the now 5 year old hens via a pop door between the 2 little yards.

The only reason we keep rooster at this point is for predator protection. I understand at 1 year old he's got raging hormones....but is there any reason to believe those will calm down enough for him to be a gentlemen with the girls within the next few months? Keeping them separate like this isn't giving the hens any protection. I question the point of keeping him.

There is no reason to keep him. Chances are he will just get worse.